Category Community
McKay Park to get new playground
McKay Park is getting new playground equipment this year. (Saphara Harrell/ Salem Reporter) When it came to McKay Park, Carol Snyder said she knew there was a lot of work to be done. To help, she and the Salem Parks Foundation raised $96,000 to buy…
TO DO: Hear about Salem’s secret history, watch a rodeo, go dancing
(Illustration by Anna CK Smith/Special to Salem Reporter) It’s that time of year again. 4-H and FFA kids will show off their livestock, the rodeo’s in town, and giddy kids will rush toward carnival rides at Oregon State Fairgrounds. The Marion County Fair runs from July…
Salem’s Red Cross moves into Hawthorne Avenue location
The American Red Cross in Salem has moved its services to a building on Hawthorne Avenue. (Courtesy Red Cross Cascades Region) American Red Cross’s Blood Donation Center in Salem and its local offices are moving into the same building. The new space, located on 1860…
In unique approach, playwrights stage Salem show, then turn to audience for critique
The play “Bethany Sees the Stars” debuts Wednesday at the Lee Pelton Theatre. (Courtesy/Dale Peterson) Thomas Nabhan and his wife, a professor at Willamette University, had been going to student productions at the college for more than a decade when they asked: “Why aren’t the…
TO DO: Head to the fair, hear about secret history, tiki party
(Illustration by Anna CK Smith/Special to Salem Reporter) Wednesday River Rock Salem is bringing three consecutive nights of live music to the Riverfront Park amphitheater this week. Country singer Ned LeDoux will perform Wednesday, the Spin Doctors perform Thursday and John Splithoff will close the…
River Rock Salem returns with three back-to-back shows
Ned LeDoux performs at River Rock Salem this Wednesday. River Rock Salem is back this year with three concerts, three nights in a row at the Riverfront Park amphitheater. The series kicks off Wednesday evening with country music singer Ned LeDoux, the son of famed…
Downtown alleys will get historic monikers during naming process
Salem’s downtown alleys will get monikers during naming process. (Anna Smith/Salem Reporter) Back alleys traditionally evoke thoughts of exposed brick, dumpsters and smoke breaks. A place where you shouldn’t walk alone at night. But in Salem, alleys are increasingly becoming a cool place to hang…
Old Oregon State Hospital furniture is moving to a new home
Old chairs will soon be housed in the Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health’s basement. (Saphara Harrell/ Salem Reporter) Inside the nearly century-old cottage, two dusty chairs wait at the top of the staircase. The armrests are weathered, strips of light brown are revealed…
TO DO: Play cornhole, run a race, drink some brews
CherryFest NW takes place July 4-7. (Courtesy of CherryFest) Wednesday On Wednesday, Riverfront park will host Budweiser’s “King of Country Concert” featuring award-winning country music singer Tracy Lawrence, Jackson Michelson, Britnee Kellogg, and 45 Away. The concert will benefit Folds of Honor, a group that provides…